J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AJMCA

We went to the indoor Snow Zone at Hemel last night to buy a few things from the shop and afterwards had a hot chocolate with the kids watching the skiers and boarders on the indoor piste, getting excited about our hol in the real mountains 7.5 more sleeps- then our attention was caught by some skinny guy who had invented a new skiing style- imagine a cross between snow plough and ballet dancing pirouettes on alternate legs with a few fast 360s and a bit of bowing up and down, all very not-in-control and he was using his poles like windmill sails. :-o He had a massive grin on his face and looked exhilarated. It was both frightening and hysterically funny. :!: :-o :shock: :shock: :-) Ashamed to say that we and lots of other spectators lost it and ended up laughing out loud and crying too, and much to the horror of my kids I even snorted :!: I never snort ! :oops: We must have seen him repeat this on at least ten descents. We wanted to go home but the kids were pleading to "watch him have just one more go". Thankfully he didn't cause any major wipeouts and was hauled up by the slope patrol. Definitely needs to book a lesson ! I think he might have posted on here a few pages back :wink:
My friend and I found J2 a couple of years ago when booking a "mummies ski hol". Great advice and ski chat. I've never been in a forum before I joined J2 and was initially scared to post but thanks to all you regulars for being so welcoming- I'm becoming addicted in the run-up to our family hol. You're all great fun ! Hope I haven't gone off thread Mr Admin!

Tony_H wrote:

AllyG wrote:My ski instructors have tried to teach me to actually lean on my pole when ski-ing moguls, so that the pole takes some of my weight and gives me extra stability. But I'm not very keen on doing this as it was my ski pole that broke my shoulder on the dry ski slope.

Dont then.

Poles.......very useful on flat sections, initiating turns, leaning on when you're standing up, attaching a Go Pro to, pointing out things to people, putting on your head like antenna, pointing in front of you like a dalek, popping off your bindings, banging together to advise someone in front of you that you are behind them, putting in front of the rude french mans skis behind you to prevent him pushing through in the left queue, banging the person behind you's tips when they stand on your tails, and poking another rude french man in the back after hes pushed in the lift queue.

I'm sure they have other uses as well.

This made me laugh in agreement- all so true ! :lol:

OOH be careful ! Morzine is a lovely little town and short journey from Geneva and good areas for beginners/intermediates but not always very snowsure. We went in mid March 2010 and there was loads of snow up at Avoriaz and on the higher peaks to the other Les Gets side but it was quite slushy at the top above Morzine and Les Gets where several runs all come down to one area up in the mountains with a choice of several chairlifts departing from it. The runs back down to Morzine were very icy, but there are cable cars to get back to the town. We had booked to go to Morzine again in 2011 mid March but made a late alteration to our booking when a friend out there sent a photo of ponies out grazing the grass on the blue runs !! This year is so much better snowfall wise, so it might be okay. Chamonix is quite disjointed and you'll have to get trains or buses to the different ski areas. It's probably 2.5 hours transfer from Geneva and about 75 euros per person return to Les Arcs but you'll be able to ski in that area well into April. Done it several times. Well worth the journey. La Plagne is also good for beginners Good luck ! 8)

Wow- Loads of you are going this weekend- have a great time guys ! Fab snow reports. Hope it's not tooo cold !
7.5 more sleeps to go for me :lol: but can't get too excited yet cos I've got a big charity event (fundraiser for a local hospice) with 18 piece Big Band& Dance to co-organise and run this weekend- bit stressed :roll: but then when it's over I can resume countdown :D

Hi. I've been reading the Avalanche Discussion posts. We're off skiing soon with a large group of family and friends of mixed ability and experience. Half of the group are having morning ski lessons at their individual levels. In the afternoons we'll swop about and ski in various groupings or one large group choosing pistes to suit the lowest ability/experience level and sometimes through the trees and sections inbetween the pistes (nothing hardcore.) One intermediate but not very confident skier keeps asking about the likelihood of an avalanche swooshing across a piste.She wants us to assure her that it won't happen on or near a piste. I've told her about the controlled explosions, avalanche fences etc on nearby faces but obviously I can't say never. I was in Les Arcs last year when two guys off piste set off an avalanche that swooshed across a narrow red run full of skiers. We're skiing in the Les Arcs Peisey-Vallandry area again. Someone on the Avalanche Warnings Made Clear forum said that most deaths due to avalanche happen during Cat 2 or 3 ! Do these statistics refer to off piste ? My friend is probably worried about her kids too. What is the advice for piste skiers or would a piste just get closed if it was at risk ? Would a packed piste base underneath make avalanche rescue any easier ? :?: She's got me thinking now!

I skied when 6 weeks pregnant,which is a pretty crucial time. I hadn't expected to be pregnant, and only found out just a week before we went- holiday was already booked etc. It was a tough decision because I'd had the trauma of an ectopic pregnancy the year before. My lovely GP photocopied my medical notes for me to keep in my ski jacket pocket and his phone number,to pass onto medics in case of emergency as he's a fluent French speaker. I was fine,I skied reds and blues and made sure I drank plenty of water because dehydration would be serious. I had one day off skiing because I felt tired. My baby girl (my middle child) is now a teenager and started skiing at the age of 3 and loves it. If your sister-in-law has any doubts at all, then she should not ski. She should go on holiday, but listen to her own thoughts and instincts. Have a little ski to see how she feels maybe, just do a couple of runs a day, or go for the whole ski experience but so what if she wastes the price of a lift pass and skis. She can't put a price on her baby. It's ok for the medics giving advice but it's just based on statistics, to them you're just a number and they won't be the ones with heartbreak if something went wrong. I would definitely recommend that she pays extra money for a CARTE NEIGE on top of her insurance. Google it to buy one- lots of benefits if you need to be heli-lifted off to hospital. Good luck!

That's why I like driving- it's all part of the holiday. We can pack what we like, stop when we like, chat, play music, watch France go by. Usually takes us 14-15 hours door-door (home > ski chalet) including Eurostar and stops and refuels. I know some people do it a lot quicker but it's not a race for us - we've got kids so we like to stop a few times en route for a quick walkabout, picnic, coffee. I like to maximise our ski time, it would upset me to waste any of our lift pass and mountain time so we always travel out the day before, (never in convoy) meet up with our friends (also driving) for a stay overnight in Chamberey. Leave at 6.30 am next morning and we're wearing our ski boots by 8.30am. 8)
Driving saves us a lot of money compared to other travel methods.
If going for a Saturday-Saturday ski holiday then my 2nd choice would be the overnight "Snowtrain" from St Pancras, via Paris for dinner (and breakfast on the way back.) Love it ! Quite an adventure if you've got kids too. Not for everybody I guess, but then, I don't mind sleeping on the train, I had plenty of practice in my backpacking days ! Snowtrain arrives in the Alps at 7am ish with short transfer (20 mins) to resort. :wink:

ewanmalone wrote:

AJMCA wrote:

NellyPS wrote:20.5 sleeps? That's very specific.

Have a lovely time.

The 0.5 sleep was the bit before I leave at 2.15am to drive to the Eurotunnel but 0.5 is actually a bit hopeful, I'm normally way too excited to sleep by then ! )

which train are you taking?

Eurotunnel with car and load of friends in 3 other cars- yey ! :P